the union." head to cnn.com/sotu for analysis and intras. if you missed any part of today's show, find us on itunes. just search state of the union. fareed zakaria "gps" is next for our viewers here in the united states. this is gps, the global public square. welcome to all of you in the united states and around the world, i'm fareed zakaria. we have a terrific show for you today with some of the best interviews of the year so far. a king, one of the world's richest men, a prime minister and a former prime minister. first up, king abdullah ii of jordan. the man in the middle of the middle east. his nation sits in the midst of turmoil between syria, egypt, israel, iraq and saudi arabia. then, the richest man in india. mukesh ambani. the first-time tv cameras have ever been allowed inside his 27-story home.

also, two prime ministers. dmitry medvedev on syria and his relationship with president putin and the former prime minister john howard of australia on how his country acted after a tragic gun massacre. what the united states can learn. but, first, here's my take. it's a given that washington is broken. that the two parties seem incapable of coming together to get things done. but here is something president obama could probably do by himself that would be a signal accomplishment of his presidency, end the war on terror. for the first time since 9/11, an administration official sketched out a possible end point. jay johnson, the then general council for the pentagon saidine a recent speech to the oxford union that as the battle against al qaeda continues, there will come a tipping point that so many leaders of al qaeda and its affiliates have been killed and captures such as al qaeda as we know it has been effectively

destroyed. at that point he said our efforts should no longer be considered an armed conflict. you might not realize it, but we're still living in a state of war. this is the longest period that the united states has lived in such a situation. longer than the civil war, world war one or world war ii. it grants the president and the federal government extraordinary authority, effectively suspends civil liberties for anyone the government deems an enemy and also keeps us at a permanent war footing in all sorts of ways. ending the situation should be something that appeals to left and right. james madison the author of the constitution long-time conservative was clear on this topic. of all the enemies to public liberty, he wrote that war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises the germ of every other. war is the parent of armies from these deaths and taxes. no nation could preserve its country in warfare.

if you want to know why we're in such a deep budgetary hole. we have spent $2 trillion on foreign wars in the past decade. in addition, we have had the largest expansion of federal government since world war ii. dana priest and william arkin of "washington post" has documented that the u.s. government built 33 new building complexes occupying 17 million square feet. the equivalent of 22 u.s. capitals or three pentagons. the department of homeland security itself employs almost one quarter of a million people. of course, there are real threats out there, including from new branches of al qaeda and other such groups and, of course, they will have to be battled and those terrorists captured or killed, but we have done this before and we can do it, again, in the future under more normal, legal circumstances. it will mean that the administration will have to be more careful and perhaps have more congressional involvement

like drone strikes. the administration will have to charge some of the people in guantanamo and try them in military or civilian courts. is all this so bad? so, the question is, have we reached the point where we might consider shifting from emergency war-time powers? well, the recent global terrorism index report covers the years 2002 to 2011. it shows that terrorism went up from '02 to '07 because of the conflicts in afghanistan and iraq. but it has been declining ever since. the report find the part of the world with the fewest incidents of terrorism has been north america. for more on this, read my recent column in "the washington post." there is a link to it on the website, cnn.com/fareed. let's get started. the kingdom of jordan is

precariously positioned with some challenging neighbors. syria to the north and iraq to the northeast, saudi arabia to the east and egypt and the sinai across the gulf of acaba. despite the external turmoil, jordan has not had its own arab spring. listen to my conversation with king abdullah ii. >> when you look at the arab spring, is it fair to draw the inference that repression has not worked, but bribery has? but those that have large oil wealth were able to provide patronage of various kinds, particularly in the gulf have all survived. >> well, i think you have to take a step back and look at history how the middle east was divided up. this is one of the problems we

face in political reforms in jordan. we're still living in the shadows of the cold war. the republicans that were aligned to the soviet union. so, maybe you've seen the reaction more in the publics than you had in the countries that are either emirates or monarchies. but this is what makes the transition. 90% of the people are averse to being aligned to political parties. although we had this wonderful parliament outcome of 56% plus way beyond, i think, anybody's expectations. the challenge now and i see in jordan, specifically, the hard work for us is actually creating that political party culture. for jordanians to be part, still

something wrong. so, the challenge we have over the next four years. hard work. i think the easiest part of arab spring is behind us. >> what would you like to see happen in syria? you are facing an extraordinary crisis and i think people need to remember you have now 300,000 refugees from syria. you have gone through a decade in which you took in hundreds of thousands of iraqi refugees. iraqis have been going back and you now have this new influx. do you think the fall of assad will end this crisis or will that launch the bigger of a larger syrian war? >> the challenge that we have, the longer this conflict goes on, the more, the country will implode. and so for the first time, again, there's talk of is there going to be a fragmentation of syria. the breakup into different, smaller states, which i think will be catastrophic and something that we will be reeling from for decades to come. but the longer it goes on, the nastier it gets. the more complicated it gets.

but at the same time, anybody that is saying that the bashar regime has weeks to live, really doesn't know the reality on the ground. they still have capability. so, i give them a strong showing, at least for the first half of 2013. >> how much jihadi penetration into syria do you sense? >> well, al qaeda is established in syria. they have been there for about a year. they are getting certain supplies of material, weapons and financing, unfortunately, from certain sectors. so, they're forced to contend with. even if we get the best government in damascus tomorrow. we have at least two or three years of securing our borders from them coming across and to clean them up. so, jordan is today and has been committed since three weeks into the afghan campaign, we've been there for many, many years. but today when we look at jordanian troops deploying to afghanistan, we have to really

think because i think the new taliban that we're going to have to deal with will be in syria. >> final question. i mentioned repression didn't work, prescribery seems to have worked and you haven't repressed and you don't have the money to bribe. do you feel like you managed this kind of balancing act in jordan and you worry that all these pressures from syria, the israeli issue could destabilize it all? >> well, it goes without saying that the past year and a half with the very difficult challenges to our economy to our gas being cut off or egypt that got us into the financial difficulties that we're facing today. instabilities in syria have definitely added to the challenge. but jordan has always, i think, looked at whatever policies they have not to use other things happening in the area as an excuse. i think the difference between jordan and many other countries is we took a different approach. and we pushed for evolution, not

revolution, and the only way you can do that is through the rule of law. so national committee was put together. and they changed a third of the constitution created an independent commission for elections, a new constitutional court, many other laws, so we took the systematic approach, mainly because of my experiences in being educated in the west and looking at how western systems did it, it was really the rule of law, and i sometimes am surprised by western think tanks and certain ambassadors of our country where they say this is going to be very difficult. you think? this has been a major challenge and you can't have this by waving a magic wand. it will take work to create plat forms so people will start in the next elections vote for candidates because they're on the left or right of those particular issues. that political party culture, that is the major challenge. and where we're starting from down in jordan, i think we're still steps ahead of many, many countries in the middle east. it's going to be tough for all of us, but that's the only way i

think we can do it. >> your majesty, thank you very much. this was a fascinating conversation. we'll be back in a moment with the richest man in india, the second richest man, mukesh, ambani. with centurylink as your trusted partner, it can. our visionary cloud infrastructure and global broadband network free you to focus on what matters. with custom communications solutions and dedicated support, your business can shine all week long. and be good for your face? [ female announcer ] now there's new neutrogena® naturals acne cleanser.

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mukesh ambani hasn't given a television interview in almost a decade. he never let television cameras into his 17-floor tower. he is the chairman of india's largest company, reliance industries which his father started in 1980 making textiles. today their revenues come mostly from energy, though they're making big bets in retail and telecommunications, as well. tell me, you have a vantage point to look at the global economy. you run india's largest company. where do you think we are five years after the financial crisis began? >> well, i am more optistic than most. my view is that the beginning of

this year we'll see a beginning of a recovery, particularly in the u.s. >> you think that's because just the inherent strengths of the u.s. economy? >> there has been a fundamental transformation in the energy scene in the u.s. for many decades, we have heard that the u.s. will be independent of foreign imports of energy. realistically, i can now tell you that it is my judgment that this will happen in the next five or seven years. the u.s. has truly found nonconventional energy in shale oil and gas, which is really bringing benefit not only to the population in the u.s. but really to across the world.

>> ayou run the largest refinery in the world. what will happen if there were a military strike on iran? what would happen to the price of oil in your estimation? >> well, i think that the world is a lot more -- my own view is that if we see small blips we have a system and today there is enough spare capacity, right, in the system to take care. >> you were bullish about the united states, probably more bullish than a lot of americans. what about the other key drivers of the world economy? because a lot of people say, look, china is slowing down. brazil has slowed down. india has slowed down. what do you think of the emerging market story? >> i think that china is maintaining steady growth.

it's not decelerating. europe has found its own transition and they will transgress through the financial system in an orderly way. india has had some slow growth but i am optimistic on india. >> why is that? explain that. when people look at india today, they see growth is at 5.5% now. you talk to foreign investors and they say the infrastructure is terrible and it's very difficult to operate in india. you look at all that and you're still bullish. >> well, i'm very bullish on india because it's really the aspirations of a billion people. and ours is a country where all the billion count. there are some countries in the world where one person counts. there are some countries where the politburo, 12 people, count.

the beauty of india is that all our billion people count. and they have aspirations. and it is really a bottom-up story. it's not a top-down story. so, yes, we will, just with what happens in the rest of the world, but we are on a long-term growth trajectory. and this is just not growth in terms of gdp numbers. this really is for well-being of each and every indian. and that's the aspiration. >> you run the largest company in india, you live in this fabulous house. do you see yourself as having a special responsibility? >> yes, of course. the way i think about these things is i really have my father as my role model. and he started off with nothing. and one of the things that he

said to me is that you really don't know, mukesh, what it is to be poor. and make sure that you maintain everybody's self-respect. so when you give -- people hold their handle on this basis, don't give on that basis. when you give, and if the people hold their hand like this, that means they bless you. that's the way to give. and in a certain sense some amount of anonymous giving or doing things that change societies, doing things that leave a lasting impact, and even if it be creation of businesses, creation of jobs, right, creation of sustainable institutions that last beyond you, it's the best way that you can contribute to india. >> mukesh ambani, pleasure to have you on. >> thank you, fareed. it was a pleasure.

up next, what in the world. if you look at any global rankings of the best countries to live in, scandinavia always comes out on top. why? and what we can we learn from that? when you have diabetes...

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now, for our what in the

world segment. here at gps we often report on how the united states has fallen behind in a number of global rankings. for example, the economists recently pubalist the where to be born index. a list of countries that provide the best opportunities and the highest quality of life. in 1988, america was number one. now it is a joint 16th. three of the top five countries today are in scandinavia. norway, sweden and denmark. or look at the world economic forums economic index. the united states has fallen to seven in the latest rapgings. finland and sweden are all in the top five. look at corruption. the united states ranks 19th in the transparency international new index. denmark and finland are rated the cleanest countries. you can spot two trends. on the one hand, america has been losing its edge, but i'm also struck by the rise of scandinavia, include denmark, norway, sweden and if you

broaden that definition, finland and iceland. each of the countries seem to dominate global ranking lists. what is their secret sauce? scandinavia is actually much more free market oriented than people realize. capital is by the market and corruption is nonexistent. companies can hire and fire easily, labor moves around. but, these countries do tax a lot and spend a lot on education, child care, health and other things. now, a recent mit paper suggests that there are limits to this model. it's called "can't we all be more like scandinavians." we linked to the paper on cnn.com/fareed. how the scandinavian welfare system provides a number of benefits, more vacations, better health care, more equality. but when it comes to innovation, the u.s. still wins. for example, if you look at patents filed per million

residents, the study shows the u.s. has moved far ahead of scandinavian countries. here's why this is important. unlike a health care system which only benefits people of one particular country, innovation has global impacts. new american inventions spread around the world. according to the paper's authors, scandinavian countries free ride on u.s. research and development. but if the u.s. became scandinavian, it would spend less on innovation, which might reduce global growth rates and, thus, discredit the scandinavian model. the paper has been criticized for using patents, but, even so, this is an important discussion. it ties into many of the questions our leaders are grappling with. does the state need to make societies more equal? does that come at a cost? there is much to admire about scandinavia on education, on health care on energy. that doesn't mean we need to

become scandinavian. we are more free reeling and ready to take risks. americans don't have to stop being american. but why not look at how these countries in scandinavia make investments in health care and early education and all these things create greater equality of opportunity. that is what helps people succeed no matter where they come from or how poor they are. the truth is, scandinavian countries are fulfilling a huge part of the american dream better than america these days. now, thankfully, we are still an innovation powerhouse and we need to spend more on research and develop rather than cutting those budgets. perhaps we need to target some of our inovative thinking towards restoring the american dream of equal opportunity. that would be a truly american solution to an american problem. when we come back, more lessons for america. what we can learn from australia, a country that actually did something following a gun massacre 17 years ago.

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we'll return to fareed zakaria in just a moment. but bring you the latest from texas in a chilling news story that is developing here in texas. law enforcement authorities have descended on a neighborhood here in kaufman county just east of dallas where late yesterday the district attorney, the chief top prosecutor in the kaufman county was found murdered inside his own home alongside with his wife, as well. mike mclelland had been the district attorney here for many years, but, more importantly, this comes almost two months exactly after an assistant prosecutor here in kaufman county was gunned down in the middle of the day as he was walking to his office. so, many questions being raised about whether or not these two murders are connected. the mayor here in kaufman tells cnn he believes both of these men were targeted and it is very likely that these murders were were connected. but we saw law enforcement descend on this neighborhood and

fbi investigators, state police, texas rangers descended on that neighborhood. that investigation continues. we will continue to follow this story throughout the day here on cnn. but, for now, we'll return you back to fareed zakaria. on april 28th, 1996, in port arthur, australia. a man named marshal bryant went on a killing rampage. in the first 15 seconds of his spree, bryant killed 10 people and injured another 10 all with an ar assault rifle. 35 remains dead, men, women and children. if his weapon of choice sounds familiar, it should. that's what adam lanza used in the newtown, connecticut, massacre. in its time of grief, australia actually did something about weapons like the ar-15. it banned them. joining me now from sydney, the man who made it happen,

australia's former prime minister john howard. mr. howard, welcome. >> thank you, fareed. >> when you hear about this terrible tragedy, what was your reaction? >> well, my reaction was one of horror and shock. if was the largest single loss of life from one murderous incident by an individual until the slaughter in norway a couple of years ago. i thought to myself and many of the people around me that we just cannot leave a stone unturned in trying to prevent it happening again. from happening, again. >> so you decided on essentially what we would call here an assault weapons ban? >> i did. and the power to ban them at that time lay with the states. australia, like the united states, is a federation we only have six states and two territories and much smaller country population wise.

and there were quite a few internal difficulties on my side of politics, particularly from state governments in the largest states like queensland and western australia where the level of gun ownership and the recreational use of guns was higher than it was in the urban areas. and on top of that, of course, most of the farmers, ranchers, whatever you american term you might want to use supported our party. many of them were very angry at the ban. but in the end, we were able to use the power of public outrage, plus the fact that my government had just been elected with a big majority to in effect persuade, politely the states to implement the nationwide ban. if they are not agreed, we would hold a referendum to give the federal government the power to implement the ban, but that was not necessary.

>> then you faced the problem, a large number of these guns in circulation and you came up with a very innovative idea, which was essentially a mandatory buyback, correct? >> yes. we funded a tax levy on everybody. the buyback of something like 700,000 guns. the american equivalent of that would be 40 million weapons. that was implemented over a period of time and they were taken in by the police. i have to say, the australian experience overwhelmingly was of strong support and, again, i emphasize it came from both sides of politics. by some statistics down 80%.

gun-related suicide, 675%. these numbers must stun even you? >> they did. and they have been. the issue has been surveyed and researched now over quite a long period of time. so, even the most conservative researchers would acknowledge that a group surveyed over such a long period of time producing figures like that. it must mean that the change was beneficial. and it was not just murders, but when i became prime minister in '96, australia had one of the highest young suicide rates in the world. by removing a lot of weapons, particularly in rural areas. the bushes, we call it. the potential for young men feeling desperate and might even

have a snap point and if there is a gun available, it's easy to give in to sense of depression and despair. it is a lot harder when you have to use another method to end your life. i often said in this debate, it's often easy if someone reaches a snappoint to kill a number of people with a gun and a lot harder to do it with another weapon like a knife. >> what i'm struck by in the debate in the united states is that it takes on a left-right, where in the rest of the world generally speaking it's conservatives in favor of being tough on guns, if you know what i mean. they tend to be, these are are the kind of policies that law enforcement officials usually support and it is conservatives like you, you are very staunch conservative. 100% supporter of george bush during the iraq war. you've always been a tough guy. do you find it odd to find yourself on the left side of the

debate? >> this is not a conservative liberal issue, left/right issue. we've always seen it as being a question of public safety. and on this issue, our experience was that we did have gains in public safety and great gains in reduction of mass murder through the ban. now, i know the history of gun ownership in the united states, i respect it. america has a bill of rights, australia does not. the courts in australia do not have the same capacity to decide these issues as they do in the united states. so, i acknowledge all of the differences and, clearly, it is a debate that has to go on in the united states without people from outside giving any lectures. i'm not doing that. i'm simply explaining what we did. what our feelings and emotions

were and there was enormous public support, especially in urban areas for what we did 17 years ago. there was a lot of resistance inside sections of my own political base about with the experience of 17 years, even the most cynical skeptical person would acknowledge that we have made a big difference with that prohibition. >> john howard former prime minister of australia, thank you very much. >> thank you. when we come back, dmitry medvedev the prime minister of russia. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,

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russia may no longer be the superpower but remaps one of the world's most important countries. has the world's largest arsenal, and a seat at the world trade organization. yet, its direction and its interests seem unclear to many in the west. is it modernizing? is it trying to help solve problems like syria or make them worse? and the hope of better understanding the country, i sat down with its prime minister,

who struck me as poised and confident. part of a regime who feels it has weathered recent storms from the financial kriss to the air ab spring. almost nine months ago, russia saw one of the most important job swaps i can remember. russia's president, dmitry medvedev became russia's prime minister, which is what he is right now. i i last interviewed mr. medvedev three years ago before the job swap plan was floated. i reminded him of that interview when we met again in davo, switzerland. mr. prime minister, thank you for joining us. >> translator: good day. >> the last time we met, prime minist minister, you were president. i asked you a question. do you expect that you will serve a second term.

you seemed optimistic of the that you would serve a second term. >> translator: if you really want to know, let me tell you. we achieved the main goal to ensure continuity, just like any political competition, we made sure that the political forces that we represent will stay in power for years to come. and the people supported us. i am often asked, why did you do this? well, let me ask you a question. what was i supposed to do? start a race with my close colleague? with my friend? for what reason? >> so, it was his decision more than yours? >> translator: can you imagine that inside one political party there unraveled such a battle?

it is pointless, it would be counterproductive. >> the united states congress has fast trade letters with russia which ties trade with russia to certain issues of corruption, to, you know, individuals who are deemed to have been part of a system of corruption in russia. you have criticized that legislation and you have said that russia will respond sumetically and asumetically. i want to ask, any further russian retaliatory. >> i think it's bad when a foreign parliament passes a decision regarding another state. it's even worse when foreign parliaments and i'm referring to the u.s. congress, in

particular, declares a number of persons criminals. you need to feel the difference. there is a fine line. every country has the rights to refuse any citizen of any other country a visa to enter its territory. that is a normal practice. that is in line with international conventions. and you don't even have to give reasons. but when that is made publicly, deliberately. when congress says we're going to compile a list of names of specific persons that committed an offense, how would you call that? i would call that an extra judicial act because you find them guilty without court and trial. so, this situation, russian parliament had to respond. >> but there will be retaliation under international law and the way it is allowed?

>> translator: well, i believe the whole situation is banned and it won't improve russia and u.s. relations. it's not going to be beneficial for the global world order. >> one of the acts taken by the russian was to ban the adoption of russian orphans by americans. but the people who are are being punished are russian orphans. these are often handicapped children or in some way regarded as undesirable who are given a new life of hope and stable family in the united states. why punish the russian orphan? why ban foreigners from doing it because if the culture in russia does not change and in two or three years, you will have a generation of orphans who have been punished for no fault of their own. >> translator: well, there is another side of this issue. which is rather complex.

i would not like to speculate on this matter. but, still, i have to mention it. unfortunately, the information which we believe about the fate of russian children adopted in the united states does not make anyone happy. >> meaning what? explain what that means. >> i will explain. a large number of american families will adopt russian children really provide the correct care, upbringing and education. and in that case they get high marks. this is the highly moral attitude. but, unfortunately, in our country, we know a lot of cases when children adopted by american parents died or were tortured or lost their health in the u.s. and even one such case would be enough to suggest the draft of a

law for consideration. >> let me ask you a final question, mr. prime minister. when you were part of one of the world's most overheard private conversations between you and president barack obama. and president obama said famously, in my second term, i will have more flexibility. and you said, thank you, i will convey that to mr. putin. what was he talking about? what kind of flexibility? >> translator: well, i think this question is better asked not of me but to my colleague, barack obama. but if we talk about the subject itself, it is extremely difficult and, so far, we don't see any flexibility. there are no easy solutions in terms of anti-missile defense. there is no flexibility. we have not changed previous

positions. the u.s. has one opinion and the russian federation, unfortunately, has a different opinion. these positions are not getting any closer. >> mr. prime minister, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you. thank you. when we come back, a new fix for an old scourge. it looks like a flower until -- when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. no they don't. hey son. have fun tonight. ♪

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[ angry gibberish ]

it's easter for much of western christianity, but most of the eastern church won't celebrate it until may. that's because they base the date on the julian calendar. the julian calendar named for julius caesar counts the days that has passed since january 1st, 4713. that brings me to my question of the week. how many days have passed since january 1st, 4713 bc. do not use a calculator? is it a, 24,538. b, 245,382. c, 2,456,382 or 24,563,827?

stay tuned and we will tell you the correct answer. go to cnn.com/fareed for more of the gps challenge and lots of insight and analysis. you can also follow us on twitter and facebook. go to itunes.com/fareed, if you have missed a show or a special. this week's book of the week is "the end of power." the author, a gps regular, says the ongoing shift in the world is the transfer of power. it has been held by the few popes and kings and armies and it is now held by the many. it is a huge shift powered by new technologies, changing societial attitudes. the book maps out in fascinating detail what these mean in all sorts of areas from government to personal life. this is a must read. and, now, for the last look. take a look at this. from a distance it looks like a dandelion. up close, perhaps an odd boil of toilet plungers. so, what is it?

i it is a land mine powered device. propelled by the wind, it is meant to roll around land mine danger areas until it finds one. its inventor is an afghan who has vivid memories of losing toys that flew over or kicked over the land mine areas when he was growing up in the era of war against the soviet union. the problem goes beyond toys. afghanistan is estimated to have 10 million landmines and more than 40 civilians are killed by these hidden explosives every month on average. so, this might be a home grown way to fix this problem. necessity is truly the mother of invention. the correct answer to our gps challenge question is, c, almost 2.5 million days since january 1